New Delhi, April 7 The last season was inconsistent for top Indian triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker, but he is hoping to redeem himself and claim a second consecutive medal in the Commonwealth Games later this year in Glasgow.
The 30-year-old from Kerala, who won a silver medal in the 2022 CWG in Birmingham with a jump of 17.02m, has begun the 2026 season with two jumps of 16.82m and 16.83m, which has given him the confidence to perform his best in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2).
"I am not focused on the distance. I am just trying to make up for my mistakes. If I do that, my distance and performance will improve, and I will at least be on the podium. That is my target (in the 2026 CWG)," Aboobacker told
"I jumped 17.02m in the 2022 CWG. Before that, no one knew my history. I worked very hard to get there. I corrected my mistakes. I did everything.
"I am going to achieve my target. If I jump 17m there (in Glasgow), I can win a medal. Hopefully, there will be no injuries. I am feeling very good. I can even jump further than the national record."
Aboobacker's next competition will be the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May, which will be the final selection event for the Commonwealth Games.
"I think if I have a good performance in the Fed Cup, I will also have a good performance in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. I need to have two peak performances – one in the CWG and then in the Asian Games.
"I am fully fit and my focus is equally on both (CWG and Asian Games). I will put in all my effort in both," said Aboobacker, who has been with JSW since 2022.
Aboobacker's personal best is 17.19m, which he achieved in 2022 and equalled early in 2025. After achieving a big jump early last year, he could not even reach the 17m mark once. He could only manage 16.33m in the qualifying round of the 2025 Tokyo World Championships and failed to make it to the finals.
"Last season, I tried to improve my performance during the off-season. I participated in competitions, but I missed my training due to the competitions. I am not doing that this season," said Aboobacker, who currently trains at the Air Force facility in Bengaluru.
He is optimistic about the growth of triple jump in the country.
"In the past, there were very few who could jump 17m like Arpinder Singh (PB: 17.17m). In this generation, there are five people who can jump 17m. We can win medals at the Commonwealth and Asian level. We can also achieve better performances in the Olympics and the World Championship. Once we reach the top eight, we can even bring home a medal."
Aboobacker is also open to competing in indoor events in the coming years, now that India is hosting the World Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar in 2028.
"I haven't competed in an indoor event yet, but if there are good competitions in India, I will participate. I will do some training and if I get a good competition in India, I will participate. I will focus on that."
Talking about the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary, Karnataka, where he had trained earlier, he said, "I trained there for one year, that was in 2025. You get everything in one place there. All the facilities are top class. India is targeting the Olympics, and so we need such top facilities."